A laundry treating machine refers to a machine that removes foreign materials from laundry through processes of washing, drying, refreshing and the like.
A laundry treating machine may be classified into a washing machine for washing laundry, a drying machine for drying laundry, and a refreshing machine for treating laundry using steam or the like. Recently, a laundry treating machine capable of performing washing, drying and refreshing processes together has been manufactured in order to satisfy various consumers' demands.
Although the laundry treating machine according to the present invention will be explained based on a washing machine, it will be apparent that the technical characteristics of the present invention can also be applied to a drying machine, a refreshing machine or the like, as well as a washing machine.
Typically, a washing machine is classified into a top-loading type washing machine and a front-loading type washing machine according to the way in which a drum is disposed. The top-loading type washing machine is characterized in that a laundry introduction opening is formed in the top portion thereof and a driving unit is disposed on the bottom portion thereof while the rotation axis of the driving unit extends perpendicular to the floor. The front-loading type washing machine is characterized in that a laundry introduction opening is formed in the side portion thereof and a driving unit is disposed on another side portion thereof while the rotation axis of the driving unit extends parallel to the floor.
However, both the top-loading type washing machine and the front-loading type washing machine have a limitation in the extent to which the washing effect can be improved, because a swirling flow is formed in wash water about a single rotation axis. That is, the rotation axis, about which the swirling flow rotates, is unchangeable.
Further, there is a limitation in that a washing process must be carried out over a predetermined time period in order to provide a satisfactory washing effect for a user.